Indiana Pacers star Paul George suffered a freak injury when his leg snapped during a Team USA scrimmage on Friday night. George is now being compared to the likes of Kevin Ware and such of athletes who have had freak, nasty or eyes-can't-bear-to-watch injuries.
Perhaps one of the most famous injuries is what happened to former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann when he got sacked by New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor long, long ago. Theismann's leg ... yeah, you know the story.
Theismann spoke about the matter regarding PG's injury to the Indianapolis Star, saying that the latest medical advances will help him.
But Theismann said in a phone interview today that he thinks George will be able to return and have a successful career because of medical advances. Theismann noted he did not have a metal rod inserted in the leg and the tibia and fibia were about three-eights of an inch shorter after they healed. That led to knee and back issues and made it difficult for Theismann to maintain his balance.
With the insertion of the metal rod, George will avoid those problems with the proper rehabilitation, Theismann said.
"It's important that he doesn't ignore the good leg," Theismann said. "Sometimes, you get so focused on the (injured) leg, you ignore the other one and you become susceptible to injury in the other one."
Theismann has already planned to talk to the Pacers and help George in rehabbing for his injury and such.
"I would tell (George) the same thing I told Kevin (Ware)," Theismann said. "Right now, your focus needs to be on rehabilitation, especially after (getting the cast removed). But at some point, if you ever have any questions, or if you're curious about the way the way the leg is feeling or what you're doing, I want to be there to support you anyway I can."
